When Cheryl Holland reflects on the story of her life, she sees God’s fingerprints on every page.

“This is a God story,” Cheryl says. “God has always stood by me.”

Cheryl traces God’s faithfulness back to when her father accepted Christ at a Billy Graham revival. As a result, Cheryl’s childhood home was firmly rooted in the Christian faith.

“The church was a part of our home,” she says. “It runs deep in our family.”

Cheryl also sees God’s handiwork in the way she joined American Bible Society’s Board of Trustees. God started tugging on Cheryl’s heart as she got to know the ministry of American Bible Society through college and work connections.

“This is going sound really strange,” she told her husband one day at lunch, “but I think I want to be on the board of American Bible Society.”

When they returned home later that day, an invitation to interview for a position on the board was waiting for Cheryl.

Since then, God has only grown Cheryl’s love for Scripture and for the people who need it most. Especially meaningful, says Cheryl, was a trip to Bolivia, where she helped distribute Bibles to orphans and women suffering from major trauma.

“It set in cement my commitment to Bible translation and distribution,” Cheryl says. “That’s where my passion has been.”

In October 2016, God further stoked Cheryl’s passion when she traveled into the mountains of China to distribute newly translated Bibles among minority language groups.

After receiving a Bible, one 85-year-old woman started weeping and hugged Cheryl’s daughter Hannah. The woman explained that she had waited her whole life for a Bible.

“Can you imagine waiting 85 years for a Bible?” says Cheryl. “To be able to read the Bible in the language that you use to sing lullabies to your children is a powerful, powerful gift.”

While Cheryl has seen the power of God’s Word unleashed in China, she knows that there is still much work to be done.

“They need additional translations and they need more pastors,” Cheryl explains.

To help meet this need, Cheryl and her husband have named American Bible Society as a beneficiary in their Wills. Cheryl trusts American Bible Society and its global partners to carry the torch of Scripture translation for generations to come.

“I have a front row seat, and I want to trust my money to American Bible Society, even after I have no control,” Cheryl says. “That’s a vote of confidence.”

As Cheryl seeks to further God’s kingdom through her generous service, she knows that her incredible journey is only one small part in God’s grand story.

“To the readers of Record who have been giving their whole lives, I want to say ‘thank you,’ ” Cheryl says. “We are one thread of the tapestry God is weaving together around the world.”

To explore how you can leave a lasting legacy, visit AmericanBible.org/GiftPlanning or call 800-549-3328